Orecchiette with Sausage Ragù
Tender orecchiette pasta tossed with a rich, slow-simmered pork sausage ragù. Rustic, deeply flavored, and ready in under an hour.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 685
- Protein
- 34g
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian pork sausage (bulk, without casings)
- 1 medium Yellow onion
- 3 cloves Garlic cloves
- 28 oz Canned whole tomatoes
- ½ cup Whole milk
- ¼ cup Dry red wine
- 1 lb Orecchiette pasta
- 2 tablespoons Whole milk
- ½ cup Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- 1
Peel the onion, then cut it lengthwise from top to root into two halves. Place one half flat-side down on the cutting board and slice crosswise into thin strips, roughly 1/8-inch wide; repeat with the other half. You'll end up with a pile of onion pieces.
- 2
Peel the garlic cloves. Place each one flat under the side of a knife blade, press down firmly to crush it, then chop it into small pieces roughly the size of pencil-tip dots.
- 3
Open the can of tomatoes and pour the contents into a medium bowl. Use a wooden spoon to break the whole tomatoes into pieces about the size of a plum—you want rough chunks, not a smooth sauce.
- 4
Set a large heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once it is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates immediately, add the sausage meat.
- 5
Break the sausage into small crumbles with a wooden spoon as it cooks, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking. Cook until the meat is no longer pink inside and the surface looks browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 6
Add the sliced onion to the pot and stir every 30 seconds until the onion turns soft and translucent, roughly 4 to 5 minutes.
- 7
Add the minced garlic and stir constantly until the smell becomes very strong and fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- 8
Pour in the red wine, then use a wooden spoon to scrape the stuck-on brown bits from the bottom of the pot, stirring until they loosen. Let this bubble gently for 1 minute.
- 9
Add the crushed tomatoes with all the juice from the bowl, stir well, then reduce the heat to low.
- 10
Let the ragù simmer uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes, for 25 to 30 minutes until the sauce darkens and tastes rich and meaty; it should bubble gently and look thick.
- 11
Pour in the milk while stirring. The sauce will look lighter; continue simmering uncovered for 5 more minutes until the color evens out again.
- 12
Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water and place it on the stove over high heat. Once the water boils rapidly, add salt until it tastes like seawater, then add the orecchiette.
- 13
Stir the pasta once right after it hits the water, then stir again after 4 minutes. Cook until the pasta is tender but still slightly firm when you bite a piece, about 10 to 12 minutes total.
- 14
Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water by carefully scooping some into a measuring cup, then drain the pasta in a colander.
- 15
Return the hot pot to the stove over low heat. Add the drained pasta, the ragù, and 2 tablespoons of the milk, then stir gently until the pasta and sauce come together.
- 16
If the sauce looks too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water—about 2 tablespoons at a time—and stir until creamy.
- 17
Divide the pasta evenly among four bowls. Top each with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve immediately while hot.
Tools you’ll need
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- medium bowl
- wooden spoon
- large heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet (12-inch)
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- large pot for pasta water
- colander
- four bowls for serving
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